Foamix's treatment for common skin condition meets late-stage trial goals

[November 07, 2018]  (Reuters) - Foamix Pharmaceuticals Ltd said on Wednesday its experimental foam treatment for rosacea, a common skin condition that causes acne-like bumps and redness on the face, met the main goals of two late-stage clinical trials.

The treatment, code-named FMX103 and made up of an antibiotic commonly used to treat infections, significantly reduced inflammatory lesions, compared to a foam without the antibiotic, minocycline.

The two late-stage studies enrolled over a thousand patients suffering from papulopustular rosacea, which causes lesions to break out on the face, and the mostly commonly reported side effects were upper respiratory tract infections, the company said.

Foamix hopes to be the first to bring a foam formation of minocycline, which is typically available in oral dosage forms, to the market.

The company in September reported positive data from another minocycline foam treatment for treating acne patients.

Prescription drugs for rosacea, which affects over 16 million Americans, include oral antibiotics, and topical medicines from rivals such as Allergan Plc.

"We think FMX103 has the potential to be highly competitive in a space with limited new competition or innovation," Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Louise Chen said in a note prior to the data.

The company said it expects to file for the drug's U.S. marketing application in 2019.

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